Accumulator-electrode.



no. 715,332. Patented nec. 9, 1902;

s. .ALEXANDER-nmz. ACCUMULATOR ELEGTRDDE` Appiieaemn mea Aug. 31;:1899.;Y, (No Model.) 2 Shsesr-vSheet l.'

Wan-M686' l Zrerar No. 715,332. -Patented Dec. 9, i902.

R. ALEXANDER-KATE. ACCUMULATR ELECTRODE.

Application lcd A1195. 31, 1899.)

(No Medef.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

www.

1H: 'wams perus co wommma. wsulumcm. n c.

UNTTn STATES RICHARD ALEXANDER-KAT@ OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

Acouivl ULAToR-ELECTRODE.'

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 715,332, dated December9, 1902.

Application tiled August 31, 1899. Serial No. 729,096. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it muy con/cern'.-

Beit known that l, RICHARD ALEXANDER- KATZ, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing and having my post-oftice address at Leipzigerstrasse19, Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Electric Accumulators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the man ufacture of electricaccumulator-s having durable accumulator-plates which are very muchlighter than those obtained by the hithertoused methods for the samee'iciency.

Itis known that the great weight of lead accumulatore and the frequentabsence of d urability are im portant disadvantages which hinder theirgeneral use, especially for transportation purposes, and many trialshave been made for reducing the weight of their contents of lead; but asthe lead conductor is made thinner its destruction by the working of theelectrical power grows quicker in proportion, so that besides thestability for which vthe thickness ot the lead conductor was always auimportant factor the durability also of the accumulator necessitated aconsiderable thickness for the lead plates used therein. The known Faureaccumulator is based upon a lead plate covered with an activecomposition as conducting support of thev element, which naturallyrequires a great thickness and weight of the lead plate. To obviate thebending of these supporting-plates by mechanical influences, stiffeningby means of small strips of wood, caoutchouc, or by means of bars orplates of wood running along the upper or lower borders of thesupportingplates have been recommended, whereby the,

use of thin lead sheets-was to be rnade possible; but the diminution ofweight which can be obtained by use of these means is not great. Inother constructions the leaden supportplates are trellised` or form panswith bentup borders and the active material is put therein; but thestability of such leaden supports and the durability of the plates underelectrochemical influences require a certain thickness, so that thedesired lightness by these means is not obtained, and even the limiteddiminishing of the weight of lead has an unfavorable iniuence on thesolidity.

The present invention is based on the use ot' certain frames ot' non-conducting and lighter material, one of which carries the activematerial independently of the lead plate, but which also acts to supportthe lead plate Without specific attachment thereto,while the other actsalso as a support and as an acidspace grating, the lead plate beine;held be? tween these frames, so that it may be of very thin quality andeasily removable for replacement at any time without disturbance of theactive material.

ln the annexed drawings, Figure lis an elevation of the frame carryingthe active material of the positive plate; Fig. 2, an elevation of thelead plat-e; Fig. 3, an elevation of the acid-spacing trame, hereinaftercalled the separator. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a set ot platesin an accumulator-cell. Fig. 5 is an exterior elevation of said cell,showing connections.

The trame A, Fig. 1, for carrying the active material consist-s of twoside bars b', a top bar, and a foot bar, the body of the frame withinthese bars being formed as a widemeshed grating of.. Itcan be formed inone piece out of caoutchouc, Celluloid, or other acid-proof non-conductive material. It forms the supporter of the active material andpossesses throughout the same thickness as that in which the activematerial is to be employed, as a rule not under three and not overleight millimeters. Both sidebars b b of the frame can extend below thelower bar of the frame, and by this means form small feet c c', on whichthe frame stand-s in the accumulatorcell. Into the spaces w of thisframe the active material is rolled, so that its surfaces are dush with'the surfaces of the frame on both faces. The frames for the positive andnegative plates, respectively, differ only in the relative displacementof the points of intersection of their gratings.

Fig. 2 represents the lead conductor, consisting of the thin lead plateC, which is provided over its area with small perforations CZ (l CZ. Theend ot" the lead plate is rolled up at e to form a thickened lead stripforattachment of the conductor of the electric current. Against theframe A, vfilled as aforesaid, are laid two such lead plates C, one oneach face. These cover in the active material, against which and thefaces of the grating said lead plates rest. Through their many narrowperforations they allow the access of the acid to the active material.In practice the two lead. plates of each plate are rolled together atthe top, as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 represents the separator B, which consists likewise of nonconducting acidproof stiff material. These separators serve at the sametime to afford space for the diluted acid to support the positive andthe negative accumulator-plates properly spaced from each other, topress the lead plate against the active material, to assist insupporting the lead plate, and indirectly also to support the activematerial. The separator B that I prefer to use herewith and which is thesubject of another application for patent of even date herewith consistsof a frame and of the two superposed gratings g and h, each of which ishalf as thick as the general thickness of the frame. The thickness ofthe whole grating B is in proportion to the distance at which it isdesired to place the positive plates from the negative plates. As a rulethis is not under seven and not over twenty millimeters. The side barsof the frame are of this thickness, while the top and bottom bars arewholly or partly of half this thickness, as shown in Fig. 4, so as toleave spaces above and below for escape of gases and circulation of theelectrolyte. The gratings g h are so placed or made relatively to oneanother that the intersections of the one cross the spaces of the other.Their combined thicknesses being equal to that of the frame, or moreparticularly of the side bars of the frame, their respective outer facesare in the same planes as the corresponding faces of the said side bars.

Though preferably made in one piece, this separator can be made up oftwo separate superposed gratings.

Fig. 4 represents a section of the accumulator-cell and at the same timea section of the supporting-plate A, the lead plate C, and the separatorB on the line Z Z of Figs. l, 2, and 3. The spaces w of plates A arepresumed to be filled with the active material. The plates arealternatively positive and negative, and the separators B are placedbetween the positive plates and the negative plates so that each opensquare of the gratings A corresponds to an intersection of the adjacentgrating of the separator B. As may be seen, the plates are insertedloosely in the boX D in such a manner that on a positivesupporting-plate A there always follows the covering lead plate C, thena separator B, then a lead plate C, then a negative supportlng-plate A,then alead plate C, then a separator B again, but placed the oppositeway around to the rst separator B, and soon. End plates F F or othermeans are finally inserted to firmly press all plates against eachother. All the lead plates C are thus firmly pressed against the activematerial and put into conducting connection with it. As is customary,the positive plates are conductively connected on the one side, thenegative plates on the other side, either inside the box or outside thebox, (asin the example shown in the drawings for the positive plates inFig. 5.) E is the cover of the box.

The advantages of the present invention are the following; Inconsequence of the arrangement of a frame of non-conducting, andtherefore light, material, which holds the lead plates over its wholeextent, very thin lead plates can be employed without being eX- posed tothe danger of bending. By this the accumulator becomes exceedinglylight. When the lead plate is damaged, so that it is no longerserviceable, it can easily be eX- changed. By this means the accumulatorcan be given greater durability, although the lead plate is exposed to aquicker destruction on account of its thinness. If the accumulator isregularly used with regular output, it can easily be found bycalculation or experience how often the lead sheets must be renewed toenable the accumulator to remain efficient for an indefinite space oftime.

What I claim is, in an electric accumulator- 1. The combination of aplurality of frames of non-conductive material, each in the form of awide-meshed grating of even thickness throughout, active material in theinterstices of said grating and lush with the surfaces thereof,interposed separators each in the form of a double grating whereof theintersections of the one cross the spaces of the other, and a pluralityof thin perforated lead plates, severally interposed removably betweenthe separators and the said frames and having contact with the surfacesof said frames and separators over the whole extent of said surfacesrespectively.

2. The combination ofa plurality of frames of non-conductive material,each in the form of a wide-meshed grating of even thickness throughout,active material in the interstices of said grating and ush with thesurfaces thereof, interposed separators each in the form of a doublegrating, whereof the intersections of the one cross the spaces of theother, and a plurality of thin perforated lead plates severallyinterposed removably between the separators and the said frames andhaving contact with the surfaces of said frames and separators over thewhole extent of said surfaces respectively, the separators being sodisposed with reference to the frames that the intersections of theseparator-gratings lie crosswise of the spaces of the frames adjacent tothe respective gratings.

In witness whereof I have signed this speciiication in the presence oftwo witnesses.

R. ALEXANDER-KATZ.

Witnesses:

HENRY HAsPER, WILLIAM MAYNER.

